This organization that I'm working for (plant watering) Forever Elmwood , has a lot to do with the greatness of Elmwood Avenue. At least that's what they say and I believe it because they've been at it for ten years. They are a community organization that works with the business owners and residents to keep the street feeling and looking good. Bob, my boss, told me that Elmwood Forever is the reason talking leaves book store came to Elmwood. He said that before the talking leaves store was there some gross bar was there and people would always leave it to go piss in the park.
I've only lived in buffalo a little while so I have no idea what Elmwood was like 10 years ago or even two years ago. Maybe some of you buffalonians can give some validity to this story. Bob also told me that the state assembler for this district lives right across from Paul, Matt, and Terry.
Sorry I never made it out last night. I think that the pride celebration must have tired me out more than I realized because when I got home I slept for 13 hours and now it's about time for me to go water the flowers!
y'all should all become members of forever elmwood if you're into the cause. I think it cost anywhere from 30 to 100 bucks!

I'm a little obsessed with this Ben Hoff book but I promise this is the last excerpt I'll post. I just feel like this excerpt is especially relevant to the events which have ensued since 9/11. Oddly enough this book was published in 1992.

The Te of Piglet

Things As They Are

The overwhelming tendency in unobservant industrial society, however, is to ignore small problems until they become enormousand then panic.
"Call out the troops! Mad Tyrant Number Twelve is taking over the world! We've got to stop him-even if we have to kill half a million people doing it! Oh, it's simply awful Well, let's see. . .
Who sold him his weaponry ? We did. Who trained his military forces in the use of it? We did. Who supplied the materials he wanted? We did. Who supported his vicious dictatorship for years because he persecuted our "enemies"? We did. And who ignored his unstable personality, his destruction of anyone who opposed him, and his repeated threats against world order for all that time ? We did. So there you are.

Man - Woman - San
Men - Women - Sen
He - She - Le
His- Hers - Lov
Him - Her - Loh


When san first came to be le was totally pissed off because le was in darkness. Le had no eyes. Le found lov inability to see to be most disturbing so le felt around until le found two circular objects then for some reason le jammed them into lov head and low and behold, le could see.
This pleased loh very much and le decided to tell lov friend the cactus about it but le found that although le had a strange vibration in lov throat le had trouble talking so le thought that if le made an abrasion in lov head perhaps the sound could escape better. The san looked around until le found a sharp instrument and le jammed it into lov face making a large hole that became lov mouth. Then le laughed out loud at lov own cleverness.
Once the san had a mouth le realized that lov friend the cactus was most happy to give loh lov milk. The milk went into the san's sound hole. The cactus said "San perhaps you would enjoy this milk more if you had some sort of sensation that gave flavor to the milk." The san agreed heartily with the cactus and took a small stick and poked two symmetrical into lov head to form nostrils.
Le was most pleased with all these things so le gathered around the other Sen and gave them all the same bodily alterations that le had just given to lohself. All the people enjoyed there new abilities quite a bit and got to laughing and grunting at each other. They drank milk until there bellies were round and full but then they realized that there bellies were so full they could hold no more milk even though they still had the desire for the taste of it.
The first san being the industrious and thoughtful being that le was decided that the best solution to this problem would be to make another orifice in their bodies below the stomach to allow the milk to flow free. Le first poked a hole for lohself and then le gave everyone else one and they worked fantastically. Now all the people could drink as much cactus milk as they wanted and eventually it would just leak back out.

PRESS RELEASE
Contact: organize@caedefensefund.org

PROTECT US--DON'T PROSECUTE US!
SECURE LIBERTY--CRITICAL ART ENSEMBLE IS INNOCENT!

CALL FOR DEMONSTRATION IN SUPPORT OF CRITICAL ART ENSEMBLE AND FREE SPEECH
RIGHTS

The committee to organize CAE Defense is calling for a peaceful
demonstration of support outside the Grand Jury hearings on the case of
Steve Kurtz (CAE), beginning on June 15th.

WHERE: County Court House, 138 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY.
WHEN: 9 AM, June 15, 2004

Critical Art Ensemble (CAE) is a collective of internationally recognized
artists who work in public, educational, academic and art contexts. Most
recently their work has been directed towards providing the general public
with awareness and understanding about biological research. The aim of their
work is not alarmist or sensational. Through participatory performance
experiences CAE provides information and knowledge. It brings people into
contact with the reality of scientific research often not accessible to the
general public. The work is always undertaken in a safe and considered way,
using materials commonly available in scientific education and research
practices.

The FBI in its efforts to protect the public is now overreaching its mandate
by using an overwhelming amount of pressure against a group of artists
making their work for the peaceful purpose of vital public discussions.
Artists like CAE stimulate public debate necessary to a healthy democracy.
Our constitution guarantees the right to freedom of speech and our
government is charged with securing that right. The job of democracy is to
protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority. In the United States
we are not governed by mob rule, nor should government exploit its
responsibilities to the public by persecuting innocent people. We too, as
citizens must stand up now to affirm our rights and defend our liberty.

This is a peaceful demonstration. Please bring signs and banners. Check the
website for PDF's and examples of signs and slogans you can print out.

CIRCULATE THIS CALL AS WIDELY AS YOU CAN
PLEASE BE SURE TO CHECK THE WEBSITE FREQUENTLY FOR UPDATES ON THE DEMO.

A Word About Demonstrations.
As with all demonstrations it is advisable to bring personal identification
(driver's license, passports, student id's, proof of address, etc.) Let
someone know where you are going to be. Stick with a buddy.

BRIEF FOLLOW-UP TO INITIAL PRESS RELEASE: To date Steven Barnes and Dorian
Burr, founding members of CAE, as well as Beatriz da Costa and Paul Vanouse,
artists who have collaborated with CAE, as well as several other people,
have been served with subpoenas to appear before the federal Grand Jury that
will consider bioterrorism charges against University professor Steve Kurtz
whose art involves the use of simple biology equipment. The subpoenas are
the latest installment in a bizarre investigation in which members of the
Joint Terrorism Task Force have mistaken an art project for a biological
weapons laboratory (see first press release on www.caedefensefund.org).
The artists involved are at a loss to explain the increasingly bizarre case
that shows how vulnerable the PATRIOT Act and other post-9/11 "security"
measures have made freedom of speech in this country.

According to the subpoenas, the FBI is seeking charges under Section 175 of
the US Biological Weapons Anti-Terrorism Act of 1989, which has been
expanded by the USA PATRIOT Act to prohibit the possession of "any
biological agent, toxin, or delivery system" without the justification of
"prophylactic, protective, bona fide research, or other peaceful purpose."
(See for the 1989 law and
for its USA P
AT
RIOT
Act expansion.)